Pursuing their passion in the dramatic arts, VI theatre students Aaron Bradley and Paul Pratt will be using their production and technical design skills in internships this summer at two Virginia theatres.
During a four-month internship at Barter Theatre in Abingdon, junior Aaron Bradley is responsible for sound design and technical theatre for nine different productions on the Barter summer calendar. Bradley has already been involved in tech work for several shows and designed the sounds for The Pied Piper. “This was a fun experience; it was the first show I’ve designed for professional theatre,” says Bradley.
Noting the physical labor and sometimes fifteen-hour days that technical design can require, Bradley adds, “Theatre is not for the faint of heart, we put in long hours, but the feeling that you get when seeing a show come together is a beautiful thing.”
Senior Paul Pratt returns to The Castleton Festival, a theatre venue near Washington D.C., for his second summer working on the stage crew. The theatre is located on a farm 30 miles away from the nearest town. Among several music and opera performances, Castleton is casting Otello, The Girl of the Golden West, and La Voix Humaine this season. Pratt’s internship involves building and assembling sets, orchestrating scene changes, and performing other odd jobs that ensure a successful production. He enjoys the unique Castleton experience which includes farm and exotic animals on property (a zebra, donkey and emus) and two unique theatres, one of which was a former chicken coop.
For more on VI’s theatre department and student internships, visit vitheatre.com.
